Shower device with shutoff means



Aug. 23, 1966 F. n. zoverre 3.268.389

suona man im sauro" uns filed Jaa. 27. 1964 2 Shun-Shut l Aug. 23, 1966 F. H. cove-r11:

snmn vamos ma suv-:on uns 2 Shuk-Shut 8 H106 Jn. 27 1964 illlllhh {afl-lll United States Patent O 3,268,389 SHGWER DEVICE WITH SHUTOFF MEANS Francis Henry Goyette, Auburn, Mass., assignor to Lodding Engineering Corporation, Auburn, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Jan. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 340,180 1 Claim. (Cl. 162-255) This invention relates principally to a shower which includes a nozzle or nozzles particularly adapted for the paper making industry, especially for modern, high speed machines. These nozzles having normally closed orifices with means for automatically opening the orices under conditions of water pressure. Shower nozzles of the prior art are ordinarily continuously open without having shutoff devices integrally associated therewith and depend upon a remote valve in the supply pipe for turning the shower on or off. Thus it is seen that the nozzles cannot be turned on and ott instantaneously since the valve being at a distance, time elapses between the time the valve is turned on and the arrival of water at the nozzles. On the other hand, it is important to conserve water and of course a great deal of water is used and much is wasted in the paper making industry.

For instance, where the web leaves the Fourdrinier wire and moves onto the felt of the press part of the machine it sometimes breaks, in which case it will follow the wire and wedge between the wire and the first wire roll, which Wrinkles and damages the wire. It is necessary to provide means to strip this broke from the wire, and continuously operating showers are utilized which exert a fluid spray on the Pourdrinier wire, spraying through this wire to strip the broke. Even though a shutoff valve is used for the showers so that they are not continuously operated and sensing means is provided to turn the valve on, this has been so slow in the prior art due to the necessity for the shower iluid to travel from the valve to the nozzles, that the broke or part of it passes the shower before the shower becomes fully operative.

In the present invention sensing means is provided for the sheet as it passes from the couch roll and the sensing means is connected in such a way as to operate an on and ott valve in the supply pipe for the shower pipe, but each nozzle is provided with its own automatically operating shutoff means which operates to open the individual nozzle immediately upon the application of water pressure thereto so that instantaneously upon the operation of the single valve in the water supply pipe, the shower pipe being full of water, pressure is exerted on the individual shutoff means for each nozzle, opening the same and `causing the shower to operate, so that the shower is operated before the sheet approaches the shower area even though this should be `but a matter of a fraction of a second.

Other objects of the invention reside in the provision of specic means for automatically closing and maintaining in closed condition the individual nozzles all the while the sheet is continuous, but upon break of the sheet, water pressure instantaneously causes the nozzles to open.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the end of the Fourdrinier part and showing the web and the position of the shower as the web passes from the Fourdrinier part to the press part;

FIG. 2 is a view in elevation illustrating the shower pipe and the connections, parts being `broken away;

Cil

Patented August 23, 1966 Mice FIG. 3 is an enlarged section through the novel nozzle showing the shutoff means and showing the nozzle closed; FIG. 4 is a similar view showing the nozzle open, and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the nozzle.

In illustrating the invention, the particular nozzles utilized are preferably self-cleaning but obviously other kinds of nozzles can also be used.

Referring now to FIG. l there is shown the Fourdrinier wire at 10. This wire is traveling in the direction shown `by the arrows in FIG. l passing over the couch roll 12 and the wire rolls 14 which are often provided with doctors such as at 16. The shower pipe is indicated at 18 and a line of nozzles at 20, and it will be seen that the shower or spray issuing from the shower impinges upon the inner side of the wire and passes through the wire thus stripping ott any broke which may be clinging to the wire.

The stock or sheet is indicated at 22 and this is shown as passing oli the couch roll onto the felt of the rst press. The felt is indicated by the reference numeral 24 and travels in the direction of its arrow, the first press being shown at 26. In the diagram of FIG. l there is shown a photoelectric device comprising a source ot illumination and a P.E. cell 28 and 30 respectively and this is for the purpose of sensing any break in the sheet 22 as it passes the gap between the couch roll and the felt.

The photoelectric device is arranged to operate a solenoid operated valve which is of commercial construction and located in a water supply pipe in the area at 32 thereof, FIG. 2. This valve is a shutoff valve and as long as the sheet 22 is interposed between the lamp 28 and the P.E. cell 30 the valve at 32 will stay closed, but upon a break occurring in the sheet 22, the solenoid valve will be energized to open the shower pipe 18 to the pressure of the water in the supply pipe which is indicated at 36 and which may also be provided with a manual shutoff valve 38.

It will be seen that there is a row of the nozzles 20 evenly spaced along the shower pipe and in FIG. 2 they are shown as being directed toward the Fourdrinier wire 10 passing beneath the same. Thus it will be seen that when a break occurs in the sheet 22 instantaneously the solenoid valve at 32 will be turned on, thus applying pressure to the shower pipe contents and to the shower nozzles themselves. In this invention the shower pipe is always full of water as will be explained hereinafter so that the pressure operated shutoff valves in each nozzle are themselves instantaneously operated to shut ott the nozzle when the solenoid valve 32 is shut off and to open when valve 32 is open.

The details of the shower nozzles themselves are shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. Each nozzle comprises a body portion 40 exteriorly threaded to be threaded in tapped holes in the wall of the shower pipe, and a nut 42 is utilized to lock the nozzles in position with the oriiices of the nozzles as at 44 being located in the desired direction, in this case downwardly. The self-cleaning mechanism and shower forming means which is indicated generally at 46 is old and well known and forms no particular part of the present invention. However, the element 48 is a spray button which has a certain cooperative arrangement with respect to the lower end 50 of the piston member 52 which is adapted to move longitudinally in the shower nozzle body 40 creating a spray and also providing for cleaning of the nozzle.

The piston 52 as shown in FIG. 3 extends upwardly and terminates in a reduced neck or waist portion 54 and a terminal head 56. Between the head 56 and the main body portion of the piston 52 there is attached a generally circular diaphragm indicated at 58. This diaphragm is provided with a spring 60 or the like which normally tends to bring the piston upwardly in FIG. 3 so that the orifice 62 of the piston abuts a shutoff valve 64. The shutoff valve 64 is preferably made of plastic, rubber, or some such material providing a good closing seat for the orifice 62 and may be held in any way desired across the interior of the body of the nozzle as for instance by means of a pin or the like 66 which has its ends connected in the nozzle body.

In FIG. 3, the nozzle is shown in its closed position where the orice 62 is firmly held against the under side of the valve 64. Although the shower pipe may be full of water, if the valve at 32 is closed, this water will not exert enough pressure on the diaphragm to move the piston 52 from its FIG. 3 position wherein it is closed to its FIG. 4 position wherein it is open. However, at the instant that the valve 32 is opened, the water pressure from the supply pipe will be impressed upon all of the water in the Shower pipe because this pipe is always full. This pressure is of course transmitted evenly to all of the diaphragms in the various nozzles, causing retraction of the various pistons 52 against the spring action and allowing Water to ow through the central portion 68 of each piston S2 and out through the orifices.

Thus when a sheet break occurs between the Fourdrinier wire and the press part, valve 32 is instantaneously energized and the nozzles are all opened so that the broke is stripped from the Fourdrinier wire by the shower just before the first wire roll is approached, and the broke thus is caused to drop into the pit in the floor and does not travel along the wire any further than the shower. Immediately however that the sheet is once more intact, the shower nozzles stop as explained and thus it will be seen that a great deal of water is saved which would otherwise be wasted when it is not needed.

It is pointed out that the particular shower herein described is useful in other places besides on the Fourdrinier wire and the electric eye or sensing apparatus can also be used in other spots along the paper making machine.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

In a paper making machine, an elongated shower pipe normally substantially full of uid, said pipe extending in general across the machine, sensing means for a sheet passing through the machine to determine a break in the sheet, a remote normally closed main valve connecting the pipe to a source of Huid under pressure, the uid in the pipe being normally under less pressure than the pressure on the uid source, automatic means to open the valve upon the presence of a break in the sheet at the sensing means, and a series of shower nozzles mounted in the pipe in mutually spaced relation along the pipe,

an independent normally closed valve in each shower nozzle, each valve communicating directly with the uid in the pipe, pressure-responsive means in each of the shower nozzle valves to open it upon pressure being applied to the fluid in the pipe due to opening of the main valve applying the pressure of the uid source to the uid in the pipe.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,583,233 1/1952 Russell 239-109 2,803,499 8/1957 Goyette et al. 239-109 2,954,170 9/1960 Goyette et al. 239-109 3,097,992 7/1963 Stremple 162-255 3,119,401 1/1964 Merritt et al. 134-57 3,129,712 4/1964 Thomas 134-57 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Examiner.

ROBERT L. BLEUTGE, Assistant Examiner. 

